


Machine Wash Hot

by rainingover



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, M/M, meet clean is the new meet cute, why isn't alternate universe - doing laundry a thing?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 02:39:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6176917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingover/pseuds/rainingover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hyungwon meets his new neighbour in the laundry room in the middle of the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Machine Wash Hot

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [В прачечной было жарко](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13889805) by [lieutenant_cloud](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lieutenant_cloud/pseuds/lieutenant_cloud)
  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [Blue_moon](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Blue_moon) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
> 
> DAY 6; March 6th, 2016

Hyungwon doesn't mind doing his laundry in the middle of the night.

In fact, he'd maybe go as far as to say he enjoys it, probably because the armchair that some ex-tenant left in the corner of the laundry room is really comfortable when you need to get out of your apartment and away from your next door neighbour's weirdly loud sex noises at one in the morning. And especially when you need to get away from your neighbour's weirdly loud sex noises at one in the morning because you have a big casting call the next day for a pretty important jeans brand.

It's Hyungwon's second call back and he has a feeling he could get the job (he looks good in jeans, this is common knowledge), but only if he doesn't have to listen to another hour of _that_. And, whilst his bed is probably his number one favourite place, the armchair in the laundry room is a sufficient alternative for a couple of hours of sleep.

He drags his laundry bag down to the basement and loads up the washer (the one on the right, the one that he knows gives twenty minutes extra wash free because the coin slot is faulty and sometimes registers too many coins) and settles down in the armchair left in the corner, ready to doze. He's too tall to tuck his legs up under him in this chair, but it's comfortable all the same and it isn't long before he falls asleep to the whirring of the washer: his own, kind of odd, lullaby.

(At least, it's better than listening to the couple next door having sex for the fifth time that week, when he can count on his right hand how many dates he's been on in the last year.)

He wakes up to the clank of the washer door, opens his eyes to the back of a stranger standing in front of him, leaning over the washer in an oversized hoodie. A stranger unloading _his_ laundry. At two in the morning.

"Um-" Hyungwon starts.

The stranger jumps a little. "Oh! You're awake." He turns around and smiles; a smile that Hyungwon can tell is genuine, even if his face is half covered by his hood.

Hyungwon stands up, a little unsteady, not fully awake yet, and the stranger reaches out to steady him, as if acting upon some innate instinct. "Uh. Thanks." Hyungwon straightens up. "That's my laundry by the way."

"I guessed." The stranger doesn't seem to think this is weird. "You were asleep and this washer takes less coins to work and-- I'm sorry, I just thought maybe you wouldn't mind me unloading it now it's done. I was going to put it into the dryer for you."

"That's-- thanks." Hyungwon wonders if he'd have done the same for a random guy sleeping in a chair in the laundry room. If he's honest, he'd probably just have left. "I'll unload the rest, um, you-- you can get your laundry ready to put in." He gestures to the basket at the stranger's feet.

The stranger nods, picks up his basket and sets it on top of the washer whilst Hyungwon watches.

He's smaller than Hyungwon, but definitely broader, though it's hard to tell really since the stranger is drowning in the hoodie he's wearing. It's quite cute, the way the fabric swallows him up, until suddenly he's pulling it off over his head, and shoving it into the washer with his other laundry, revealing muscled shoulders and arms.

It's-- unexpected, and it wakes Hyungwon up to say the least.

He tries not to stare, gathers up the rest of his wet clothes in his arms and bends down to bundle them into the dryer. When he stands up again the stranger is watching him, ruffled hair flopped over one eye as he tilts his head a little and says, "So, do you actually have an apartment here or do you usually sleep in the laundry room?"

Hyungwon cringes. "I have an apartment on the sixth floor. It's just my neighbours don't understand how to be quiet. And it's laundry day tomorrow anyway, so I thought I'd just get it done," he says. "What about you?"

"I only moved in last month, I'm on the ninth, corner apartment. And, for the record _, I_ never sleep in the laundry room." The stranger bites his lip to hide a smile.

Hyungwon isn't sure if he's teasing him or just making conversation. Maybe both.

"I'm Hoseok, by the way." The stranger holds out a hand.

"Hoseok, right." Hyungwon shakes it briefly. Hopes his hand isn't sweaty, wonders why he cares. "I'm Hyungwon."

"Hyungwon. Sixth floor." Hoesok repeats it as though memorising the information. Smiles.

Hyungwon stifles a yawn as his laundry starts to dry. "I'm going to go up to my apartment and make myself a coffee. Do you want one?"

"You're inviting someone you just met up to your apartment? Did you never get taught to be wary of strangers?"

"Actually, I meant I'd bring it down to you..." He picks up his laundry basket, watches as a flicker of a amusement passes over Hoseok's face, before he shakes his head, his hair moving with the motion. "If you want?"

"I drank about a litre of coffee earlier, so that wouldn't be a good idea. Thank you, though. Hey-- maybe I'll see you here again?"

"What, doing my laundry at two am?" Hyungwon thinks maybe he's the one teasing Hoseok now. Or is it called flirting? It's been a while, so he isn't sure he remembers.

"Something like that."

Hyungwon can't help but smile back. "I guess maybe you will."

 

\--

 

It's a week later when The Worst Thing happens to Hyungwon as he steps inside the elevator in the lobby of the apartment building.

He's not exactly ready for social interaction; has spent his day sulking and checking his phone, forgetting to eat until it started to turn dark outside and he'd realised he had nothing in his fridge.

He decides not to be ridiculous and stay up until stupid hours of the morning to do his laundry tonight, especially since his neighbours have been quiet all week and he really has no good reason to doing chores in the middle of the night other than that fact that he has been thinking about Hoseok a few (read: a lot) of the time in the past few days.

And fleeting thoughts of a toned back doesn't really qualify as a _good_ reason, unfortunately. 

So, he throws on old sweatpants and a worn t-shirt and trudges down to the basement with his laundry around four. Manages to charm the lady from the corner apartment on the second floor to let him use the washer on the left in between her second and third load, before he heads out to grab something from the convenience store to throw into a pan and try not to burn.

It's for this reason that he isn't particularly in the mood for social interaction, and also why he probably looks like shit, when The Worst Thing that can happen to someone alone in an elevator wearing old sweatpants with unidentified stains on the pockets happens to Hyungwon: Someone calls for him to hold the elevator just as the doors are closing.

This someone reaches the elevator just in time, squeezes in. Takes a deep breath and then laughs lightly. Says, "Oh- it's you! Laundry guy!"

Hyungwon finally looks up from his paper bag of groceries, comes face to face with Hoseok, who is wearing the same warm smile as he had been at two am a week ago, but considerably less comfortable clothes. Oversized hoodie and shorts replaced with blue jeans so tight that makes Hyungwon swallow automatically and a white shirt, two buttons at the top undone.

Hyungwon feels a tinge of disappointment that Hoseok doesn't remember his name. Says, "I'm Hyung-"

"Hyungwon. I know." Hoseok grins. "Are you planning to get sick of your neighbours again tonight?"

"Probably, but I had a day off, so I actually did my laundry this afternoon."

"That's a shame." Hoseok actually pouts as the elevator reaches the sixth floor. Says, "Maybe next week?" as Hyungwon steps out into the corridor and nods a goodbye.

Hyungwon has never regretted getting a chore out of the way before dark more than he does in that moment.

He gets distracted from making his dinner as he rummages through his drawers, wonders if there are any clothes he's forgotten to wash, but there are none, and, anyway, he decides, what sort of desperate would that make him?

Dinner ends up slightly burnt and Hyungwon is majorly sulky.

He lies awake that night and thinks about those jeans and that white shirt.

Decides that he's completely screwed when he realise that he's not imagining his new neighbour in the jeans anymore, but out of them.

 

\--

 

The next week Hyungwon actually, genuinely, forgets to do his laundry until he's staring into the mirror, brushing his teeth.

It's a little after one am when he trudges down to the laundry room, anticipation building in his stomach as he wonders if Hoseok will be there, which is stupid really, since he's met him twice. Plus, he might have sworn he'd been a late night hallucination the first time if he hadn't experienced the most awkward elevator ride of his life with him after that.

Still, his heart drops a little when he finds the laundry room empty.

He sets about to get his washing done, needs a clean white shirt for a casting call the next day. Feeds his coins in to the machine on the right, sets it to a hot wash and then sits down in the armchair and begins to flick through an old home interiors magazine someone has left beside it.

There are only two minutes of his wash left when he senses someone approaching. "Avoiding your neighbours again?"

It's Hoseok.

Hyungwon looks up and braces himself to act casual. Luckily, Hoseok is fully (and casually) dressed this time, back in the cute oversized hoodie and almost-too big jeans with rips in the knees. He looks good, regardless.

"Actually," Hyungwon says, "To their credit, they've been pretty quiet this week."

"Ah. So you're here to hang out with me?" Hoseok grins.

"I'm _here_ to do my laundry." Hyungwon closes the magazine. "And catch up on last year's home decorating trends, obviously."

Hoseok laughs loudly as he lifts his laundry basket onto the top of the washer.

"Actually I forgot to wash something I need to wear tomorrow. Why are you up so late?" Hyungwon asks.

"I'm just... not really a sleeper. At the moment, anyway. I'm studying for my masters and-- I guess this counts as my study break. Are you a student?"

Hyungwon shakes his head. "I'm a model, actually. Or, I'm trying to be."

"You're a model?" Hoseok pauses, seems to be musing over this. Finally says, "Actually, I don't know why I'm even asking that _. Of course_ you're a model, you're--" He waves a hand.

"I'm what?" Hyungwon is curious.

Hoseok rolls his eyes. "You know."

"Tall?"

"Well, you are tall." He agrees. "Also you look like a model."

"Because I'm tall?"

Hyungwon is starting to enjoy this and maybe Hoseok can tell, because he asks, "Are you trying to get me to compliment your looks?"

"No," Hyungwon denies, looks away and waits for his wash to end.

"You know," Hoseok says, "We should really exchange numbers. To co-ordinate better. Doing laundry is definitely less of a chore when there's someone to talk to."

"I'd like that." Hyungon smiles, holds his hand out to take Hoseok's phone.

He's considerably less sulky when he burns his breakfast the next morning.

 

\--

 

The next time they hang out, they end up forgetting the reason they're sitting on a cold basement floor in the dead of night.

They talk about work, about the networking etiquette at photoshoots, about Hoseok's up-coming  exams, about where to get the best ramen in the city and about how sometimes Hoseok shuts the curtains in his ninth floor apartment when his acrophobia gets too intense.

They talk and laugh and talk some more until, into a rare silence between them, Hoseok suddenly says, "Wait, I think the laundry is done." He motions to the dryer behind him, which is quiet. Has been for some time.

"Oh shit, the laundry." Hyungwon digs his phone out of his back pocket, his eyes widening as he checks the time. "Woah. We put the clothes in to dry just after two, right? It's almost four fifteen!"

"It's lucky we do our laundry in the dead of night." Hoseok grins. "The whole reason I ended up in here at two am that first night we met was because I saw how ruthless this place can get. If your laundry isn't taken out the second your wash finishes you're practically enemy number one."

Hyungwon laughs. "We would definitely get kicked out by the tenants committee if they knew we'd left our clothes in there for an hour longer than strictly necessary."

"I would just tell them that it's easy to lose time when you're enjoying yourself."

"Enjoying yourself doing the laundry?"

"Enjoying myself hanging out with you," Hoseok clarifies, ducks his head and smiles.

"I enjoy it too. Doing the laundry, I mean." Hyungwon smirks and dodges to avoid Hoseok's playful punch to his shoulder.

 

\--

 

Hyungwon starts to look forward to laundry day (or, he guesses, laundry night) more than he looks forward to midday lie-ins. Maybe this is because he starts to day dream about midday lie-ins that involve Hoseok.

It's stupid really, the fact that doing his laundry is secondary to hanging out with Hoseok. Not that that stops him from feeding coins into the washing machine and waiting out the load time even when he's spent all week in the same pair of jeans and has so little to wash he's taken to asking his friends if they need anything doing.

It's like some warped groundhog day of a  first date - doing laundry together every single week, but Hyungwon kind of worries that outside of this room the whole thing will lose it's magic. That Hoseok won't seem as interested in whiling away hours by his side.

One Wednesday night he catches Hoseok watching him out of the corner of his eye as he does something inane like matching up socks into pairs. It can't be interesting. "What?"

"Nothing." Hoseok yawns. "Just-- you're good company. I'm glad we met."

Hyungwon goes to reply. Is cut off as Hoseok says, "Also, you realise you're matching blue socks with black, right? Let me help," and takes them from his hands.

Gets his reply in. Whispers, "I'm glad too," as Hoseok turns away again.

 

\--

 

Hyungwon only thinks about his last interraction with Hoesok a few (read: twenty eight) times over the next few days, but always at inappropriate times, like when he's trying to keep a poker face as his old room-mate Minhyuk asks repeatedly, "What's his name? What's his name?" as they sip coffee that has now gone cold.

Hyungwon directs his most perfected death stare towards his friend. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Minhyuk pulls a face. "Yes you do. You've got a crush. I can tell these things. Tell me his name!"

"I'm leaving now." Hyungwon says, though he makes no attempt to stand up.

"You said that almost thirty minutes ago!" Minhyuk laughs.

"Only because you've been asking me stupid questions for nearly forty." Hyungwon pushes the cold coffee away across the table.

"Have I?" Minhyuk checks his watch. "Well, you must really like this one. You gave me a name within fifteen minutes last time you were dating someone."

Hyungwon feels his cheeks burning. "We're _not_ dating."

"I knew it!" Minhyuk looks delighted. "Now will you tell me his name?"

Hyungwon pauses. "No."

 

\--

 

Hyungwon is so tired that it feels like his eyes are burning.

He only finishes shooting an editorial at midnight, makes it home, with eyeliner still on the corner of his eyes, a little before one. Feels like collapsing into bed forever, until he receives a text from Hoseok - something about a study break and spilling coffee on his favourite hoodie and does Hyungwon want to meet him in the basement in twenty minutes?

Hyungwon ignores the protests from his tired eyes and texts back a 'Sure, why not?'.

Fifty minutes later and Hoseok catches him mid yawn. Hyungwon quickly covers his mouth.

"Hey. Do you really need to do your laundry right now?" Hoseok asks, looks concerned. "You look tired."

"Thanks," Hyungwon murmurs.

"I'm not saying you don't look good, because you do. Just tired. So, do you really need to be doing this?"

"What?"

He continues, "Because- If I'm honest? I don't. I'm-- I used to only do my laundry every, like, 3 weeks. Which is disgusting, I know, but I'm on study leave. I could basically wear anything, I could sit around my apartment naked all day if I wanted."

Hyungwon blinks. "That's an interesting mental image."

Hoseok laughs. "You get what I'm saying, though, right? Washing my hoodie could probably wait. I just like hanging out with you, but now you're tired and I'm keeping you up, and-- wait, why are you smiling like that?" He reaches out to poke Hyungwon's side.

"I'm still on that mental image of you in your apartment." Hyungwon grins and squirms to avoid Hoseok's grasp. "Sorry! Well, I have kind of gotten used to seeing you at 2am, but I guess I do need my beauty sleep if I'm going to make it as a model."

"You really don't need beauty sleep."

"True, I was just being modest."

Hoseok rolls his eyes. "I forgot, we're so handsome we don't need sleep."

"Why are you making this a "we" thing? Who said you're handsome?"

Hoseok looks unsure -- almost hurt -- for a moment, as if Hyungwon might be being serious, and Hyungwon panics momentarily, feels a lump forming in his throat at the realisation that he might have hurt Hoseok with a throwaway line.

Says, "I mean, I _would_ say it, just so you know." He's glad he does, even if he kind of wants the floor to open up and swallow him up and he feels awkward as hell, because the smile that Hoseok gives him is nothing short of amazing.

"So? What do you say about-- not doing our laundry?  Together, I mean." Hoseok seems to have been folding the same t-shirt for a long time, just for something to do. "I've been craving ramen for a while, we could go for dinner..."

"Dinner? Dinner sounds good." Hyungwon nods.

"Saturday?"

"I'd like that." Hyungwon smiles as they pick up their laundry baskets and head out of the laundry room and towards the elevator. "But, you know, if we start to date, you're really going to have to do your laundry more than once every three weeks, even when you're studying."

"Okay." Hoseok smiles. "I quite like doing laundry. You meet hot guys in the laundry room."

And Hyungwon can't argue with that.


End file.
